Yamato's Father's Day
by Sanosukeskitten
Summary: Yamato and Akemi come to realize that she may not be his little girl no more, but he's still her daddy. For Father's Day, 2k17


Yamato looked up to the sky, smiling a bit. Miki had brought him and their little family back to Britain for a weekend for Father's day, spending it with her father. He then looked over at his daughter, seeing Akemi typing away and biting her lip. He could only imagine what she was doing and put a hand over his face.

It bothered him, sure. But not because she was gay, but because she was his first, his little girl who was now an adult and in a relationship. A little girl who he used to chase after to stop her from running across roads, keep her out of Yamatomaru's way when he was galloping, give her rides and hoist her around on his shoulders and back when he was training. His little girl who he held at only minutes old, wrapped in a little pink blanket and crying.

His little girl was little no more, and it bothered him. He never thought once prior to a few years ago that she wouldn't be the little bubbly girl anymore but a mature woman in her own right. Of course, he had been surprised to find out she was in a relationship with another woman, and he felt horrible that she hadn't told him because she had been scared.

"Yamato?" A man's voice asked, prompting the Nanba Guard to turn his head and look at his father in law, "Everything alright with Akemi?"

"Uh...yes...sorry."

"What's troubling you?"

"...It's...She's my daughter..."

John smiled, knowing exactly where this was going.

"Yes, she is."

"She was supposed to stay my little girl."

"Yes, she was."

Yamato looked at him, frowning.

"It's hard to give them away, isn't it? I've been there Yamato, oh have I ever. Four times in fact, but that first one was a doozy." He smiled wide.

Suddenly, Yamato's eyes popped open as he realized it. He had been the one to take Miki from John. He had been the one John was thinking about when he realized Miki was no longer his little girl. John knew exactly what was on Yamato's mind.

"It gets easier." He said, still smiling, "They're still our daughters, no matter how old they get, they're still our little girls. I still have a little girl left, but the first is special in their own way."

"Yes." He agreed, "Hiroyoshi is special too, of course."

"Well, of course, they all are. None are more special than the rest, even if they liked to think they were."

Yamato peered at him, black eyes wide, then turned his attention back to his eldest daughter, who was now giving her cousin a black eye.

"...We might want to stop that."

"Yes...Akemi!"

"You didn't have to hit him..."

"He tries to take my phone daddy."

"Still..."

"His fault."

"Akemi..."

Yamato sighed, rubbing his temple. Dealing with her was something else. He noticed she was back on her phone, and the moment she sent her message, he quickly took it away.

"Hey!"

"Try and...take some time off of using your phone."

She glared at him, tongue in cheek. Crossing her arms, she looked him in the eye, "Then what do you suggest I do?"

For a moment, Yamato had no idea how to respond. He just sat there with his mouth covered by the heel of his hand, a bored look in his eyes.

"...Let's go get some ice cream." He suggested, "Just you and me."

"What about Hiroyoshi?"

"We'll bring him and Miki back some."

"Sure about that?"

"Yes, let's go." He said, laughing and happily smiling.

Akemi sighed, but smiled, and stood up.

"Vanilla, please."

Akemi happily reached for her ice cream, sitting down next to her father. She realized it really had been a while since she spent time like this with him. She sat cross-legged on the bench, happily eating her ice cream. They talked a bit here and there, looking around at the water. They didn't have a chance like this at the prison. Sure it had a mall, and it was an island, but they couldn't relax like this and spend time together. She sure wished they did.

They didn't say much, just ate their ice cream and took a couple containers of ice cream back for the other two.

Akemi was looking at the books in the room she was in. Usually, there wasn't the whole family, so the grandchildren tended to take whatever room. Akemi took the same one, as there were a ton of albums lined on the wall in it. She grabbed an old black one, sat on the floor on a rug her aunt's mother made, and opened it, surprising herself. The only time she had ever recalled him having long hair was when he was in the infirmary, but the picture in front of her showed Yamato's hair long in the back, held up in a ponytail as he was looking away from the camera, watching something.

She slowly flipped through the pictures, seeing many of her parents before realizing that this was their album. Soon she was seeing pictures of a little girl, a baby swaddled in a pink blanket, growing up. It took her only a moment to realize that it was her, watching herself grow through pictures.

"Always fun looking at albums, isn't it?"

She jumped, looking up at her grandfather, who joined her on the carpet, "Sorry, but I did knock."

"..."

John smiled, looking at the pictures, "He's having a hard time with it, you know."

She looked up at him, "What do you mean, he's having a hard time with it?"

"Yamato watched you grow from the time you were a baby, now you're an adult. He's having to give up his first child, relinquishing that parental hold. You're in a relationship, you have a job, and from what I understand, soon you'll be living in an apartment on the mainland with your girlfriend."

"Yeah...don't every parent have to do that?"

Smiling softly, John pulled another album down, and showed her a picture of three little girls, "I've had to let all three go." He flipped some pages, "I let Abbie go, and soon I'll be letting the rest go. It is our jobs to raise you kids, but that doesn't make it easier."

Akemi looked down at the pictures on her lap.

"I suppose he's always going to go on about how I'm his little girl..."

"Course he will. I have too, even though your mother is nearly in her 40's, I still say she's my little girl, along with the rest."

Akemi shut the photo album and got up, intending to put it back in its spot. John stood as well, looking over at her as she put it back, then left her room. She walked down the hall and a set of stairs before finding herself at the door of her parent's room. She went to knock only to realize that her father wasn't in the room. For one she realized she didn't hear his voice. She moved away and settled to walk around until she found him. She peered into all the open rooms before finding him outside by the pool, looking at his phone.

She started walking for him, but he heard her, standing up, "Akemi? Gah!"

He had to put a foot behind him to steady himself when his daughter barreled forward, wrapping her long arms around his waist.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to say night."

"Well, night then." He smiled.

"Love you, daddy." She gave him an extra squeeze, then ran off.

"Love you too." Yamato watched her run off, then looked down at his phone of the same little girl.

He smiled, turned it off and went inside to head it to bed. Being a father wasn't that bad, even if he did have to let his little girl go.


End file.
